Glinda
Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, ruler of the Quadling Country, and the most powerful and oldest Witch/Sorceress in the Land of Oz. She is immortal and rumored to be hundreds of years old despite her youthfulness. She is more commonly known as "Glinda the Good". As one of the very few individuals authorised to practice magic in the Land of Oz, Glinda has often saved Oz as a whole from danger, and is one whom Princess Ozma often turns to for advice when Oz is in need or in trouble. It is also said that virtually nothing of any importance anywhere without her knowledge, since she never fails to keep abreast of the events updated and chronicled in her Great Book of Oz's Records. Description Baum describes Glinda the Good as an unbelievably beautiful young woman in appearance yet is hundreds of years old in age. In the original stories and books by Baum, it never states that Glinda's character travels via magic bubble like the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz portrayed her. But the bubbles have been an element that many versions enjoy using. Glinda is tall and statuesque, having good posture. She is always dressed up formally in splendid ball gowns and fancy dresses of white, pink or sometimes red, that trail behind her as she gracefully walks. Glinda has flawless porcelain skin, healthy thick hair that is long and of a reddish-gold, that shines like the finest silken strands of spun gold, that flow in ringlets over her shoulders and down her back. Her eyes are hypnotic and as blue as sparkling sapphires, always frank and smiling. Her high cheekbones are the envy of peach-blows and her mouth is as enticing as a baby rosebud. Glinda wears no jewelry, for her natural beauty alone would shame even the most rarest and precious gems in all the world. She only wears a tall golden crown upon her head of red rubies. On occasions she sometimes carries a gold ruby scepter or glittering magic wand. Personality and lifestyle Glinda is wise yet rather private and secretive, for there is an intriguing mystery that surrounds her. Glinda can do no wrong and she never makes mistakes, she is everything a Good Witch should be, being effortlessly perfect. Her spirit is just as beautiful as her physical appearance; pure and unpoisoned. Her voice is soft spoken, she is ladylike in mannerisms and politely reserved. Glinda also is naturally patience, kind and helpful, she is always willing to listen to others no matter how busy she may be as a Sorceress. She never loses her temper and does not believe in killing even the most evil of people or creatures. She remains collected, even in the most chaotic of situations and has empathy and understanding for all living things. Glinda lives in a large ruby castle with fifty attendants of her court chosen from the loveliest adolescent girls in each of the four countries of Oz. She is a compassionate and unselfish ruler who is loved by all who know her. It can be inferred from the Soldier with the Green Whiskers' introduction to her that Glinda knew "how to keep young in spite of the many years she has lived", even before Queen Lurline enchanted Oz and stopped its inhabitants from aging. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) According to General Guph, Glinda can also "command the spirits of the air". (The Emerald City of Oz) History Centuries ago, when Oz was ruled by a wicked king, Glinda placed the Forbidden Fountain on the grounds of the Royal Palace of Oz. He and all his subjects drank of it, and afterward grew wise together. (The Emerald City of Oz) Glinda became the Ruler of the Quadlings after vanquishing the Wicked Witch of the South. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz) Dorothy Gale visited Glinda on her first visit to Oz to ask for her help in returning to Kansas. The Good Witch told her of the charm of the Silver Shoes. Then she took the Golden Cap from Dorothy and commanded the Winged Monkeys to carry the Scarecrow back to the Emerald City, the Cowardly Lion back to the forest where he was made king, the Tin Woodman to the Winkie Country to rule as Emperor. She then gave the Cap to the Winged Monkeys, thereby freeing them forever. (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) When the Scarecrow was deposed as King of Oz, Glinda declined to help him regain the throne. Instead she initiated a search for the rightful ruler, Princess Ozma the daughter of Pastoria. She eventually learned that the Wizard of Oz had kidnapped Ozma and taken her to Mombi to be hidden away. Glinda captured Mombi and forced her to restore Ozma. (The Marvelous Land of Oz) When Dorothy visited the Land of Oz a second time, Glinda advised against her using the Magic Belt to return home, suggesting that it would be lost forever like the Silver Shoes she had used previously. (Ozma of Oz) Following the Wizard's return to Oz, Glinda took it upon herself to instruct the former humbug in the magical arts, and turn him into a real wizard. (Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, The Emerald City of Oz) After reading in her Great Book of Records about the Nome King's attempt to conquer Oz, Glinda placed a spell on the entire country to make it invisible to outsiders. (The Emerald City of Oz) Glinda read of Queen Ann's plan to conquer Oz in her Record Book, and redirected the queen and her army to the Nome Kingdom. (Tik-Tok of Oz) She sent the Scarecrow to help Trot and Cap'n Bill when they arrived in Jinxland. (The Scarecrow of Oz) When Princess Dorothy and Ozma went to the tribes of the Skeezers and the Flatheads and were trapped in the underwater island of the Skeezers, Glinda assembled a group of Ozma's counselors to help bring the underwater island back above water. (Glinda of Oz) Book Appearances * The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (first appearance) * The Marvelous Land of Oz * Ozma of Oz * The Road to Oz * The Emerald City of Oz * Tik-Tok of Oz * The Scarecrow of Oz * Glinda of Oz Depictions on Stage, Screen and Other Literature In The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays (1908), Evelyn Judson played Glinda. Billie Burke portrayed Glinda as the Good Witch of the North in MGM's The Wizard of Oz (1939)|1939 classic film. Despite Glinda being described as having long hair, a youthful look and dressed in a white gown in Baum's books, Burke's Glinda is the most memorable portrayal of the character. With a feather brained and bubbly personality she is dressed in a glittering pink gown adorned with stars and butterflies, she holds a long magic wand, has short strawberry blonde hair and appears to be middle aged. In The Wonderful Land of Oz, Glinda is played by Hilary Lee Gaess. She sings 2 very memorable songs in the film, titled "Try To Touch a Star" and "I've Watched Over You" (in which she touchingly tells the Scarecrow that he possess not only a brain, but also a heart). She turns Tip back into Ozma herself in this version. In Journey Back to Oz, Glinda is voiced by opera singer Rise Stevens. This incarnation of the character says that her magic is no match for Mombi's (the direct opposite of which was true in the canonical books), but she emboldens Dorothy with an operatic song called "You Have Only You (To Look To)", helps the young heroine the way the Queen of the Field Mice helped the protagonists in The Marvelous Land of Oz, and sends Dorothy back to Kansas by conjuring up another twister. Instead of the Book of Records, Glinda can tell what's going on elsewhere in Oz by using her Glinda Bird. In the Magic Land series, the Good Witch of the South is named Stella. In the first book, The Wizard of the Emerald City, she serves the same purpose as Glinda in Baum's version, telling Ellie (Dorothy) how to return home to Kansas by using the silver shoes. However, while Glinda remains active in Baum's subsequent books, Stella never appears in person in Volkov's alternate sequels, though she does send the Scarecrow a magical TV set — Volkov's equivalent of the Magic Picture. In The Wiz Glinda was portrayed by Dee Dee Bridgewater and in the movie version she was portrayed by Lena Horne. In this version, Glinda is a 'mother of the stars'. She lives up in the sky above the and of Oz and she is surrounded by a court of little baby stars that happily float all around her. In The Wizard of Oz (1982), Glinda appears in the Emerald City following the Wizard's departure, and reveals the secret of the Magic Shoes to Dorothy, without waiting for Dorothy to visit her in the South as in Baum's original novel. In this version, the Good Witch of the North is her sister. In Return to Oz, Glinda can be barley seen briefly in the background in the coronation scene.http://www.waltdisneysreturntooz.com/Cor_Glinda.jpg In the anime adaptation, Glinda is portrayed as a tall, slender sorceress with long blue hair. She offers to make Dorothy a Princess of Oz when she first meets her, in return for all her heroic deeds, but Dorothy is determined to return to Kansas. When Jinjur and Mombi refuse to change their villainous ways, following Ozma's restoration to the throne, Glinda uses her magic to make them reform, against their will, thus preventing any further trouble from the rebel and the witch. As the series draws to an end, Glinda appears to magically save Dorothy from falling to her death, following an encounter with the Nome King and his minions. Glinda the Good Witch also appears in the apocryphal Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and Son of a Witch, where she, while still Galinda Upland, is friends with Elphaba Thropp, the future Wicked Witch of the West. This version of Glinda resembles Billie Burke's Glinda in appearance and mannerisms. Miss Piggy plays Glinda, in 2005's The Muppets' Wizard of Oz. In this version she is also attracted to the Scarecrow who is played by Kermit the Frog (just like Miss Piggy is attracted to Kermit in "real life"). In De musical The Wiz Glinda was played by Mathilde Santing. In Magician of Oz (2009), by James C. Wallace II, Glinda, along with Princess Ozma and Dorothy, greet young Jamie Diggs, the great grandson of O.Z. Diggs, when he arrives at Glinda's Red Brick Palace, courtesy of Polychrome and her father, the Great Rainbow. She also joins Jamie, Dorothy and Princess Ozma on a tumultuous journey in the Large Red Wagon, pulled by the Sawhorse through the Quadling Countryside on into the Winkie Country. She continues on and Bungle the Glass Cat joins the group as they board a raft bound for the Tin Palace of the Tin Woodman. In the 2013 Walt Disney Pictures film Oz: The Great and Powerful, Glinda was played by actress Michelle Williams. Glinda is the Good Witch of the South, and she opposes Wicked Witch Evanora's rule over the Emerald City. But Evanora has convinced Theodora that Glinda is actually the Wicked Witch. When Oz arrives, Glinda tries to motivate him to become the Wizard he was prophesied to be. After they succeed in driving out the witches, Glinda gains respect for the Wizard and begins a romance with him. In 2007, Jim Shore launched a special figurine of glinda based on her depiction on her own book. Glinda is voiced by Bernadette Peters in Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. Credits *''The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays'' (1908): Evelyn Judson *''The Wizard of Oz (1939): Billie Burke *The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969): Hilary Lee Gaess *Journey Back to Oz: Rise Stevens (voice) *The Wiz'' (1975 Broadway): Dee Dee Brightweather *''The Wiz'' (1978): Lena Horne *''The Wizard of Oz (1982): Wendy Thatcher *Wicked'' (2003): Kristin Chenoweth originated the role *''The Muppets' Wizard of Oz'' (2005): Miss Piggy *''The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's'' (VeggieTales) (2007): Madame Blueberry (Splenda the Sweet but non-fattening Fairy) *''Tin Man'' (2007): Anna Galvin as Lavender Eyes *''Oz: The Great and Powerful'' (2013): Michelle Williams *Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2014): Bernadette Peters (voice) External Links *Fansite page Category:Oz Book Characters Category:Oz Movie Characters Category:Quadling Country Category:Wicked Characters Category:Witches Category:Rulers in Oz Category:Protagonists Category:Once Upon a Time Characters